Pokémon Go has always suffered at the hands of cheaters. Trainers looking to catch ’em all by any means necessary have resorted to a number of underhanded tactics. Since this is a community-based game featuring a competitive element, casting the rules by the wayside can put a player in a much better position than those around them; essentially making it unfair for others indulging in the game.

Taking this into consideration, developers Niantic have released a blog update outlining a three-strike policy in order to combat cheaters. These punishments will be implemented if a player is caught accessing Pokémon Go through GPS spoofing or third-party add-ons.

Strike 1 sees cheaters unable to encounter wild Pokémon for 7 days. They will also lose access to EX Raid Passes for the duration. After the seven day period, trainers’ games will be fully restored.

The second strike locks players out of their Pokémon Go account altogether. This disciplinary action will last for approximately 30 days.

Finally, strike 3 sees the player banned entirely! This strike is permanent, but players can appeal their case via Niantic’s website.

Niantic also stated that not all transgressions fall within these guidelines. Some more severe rule breakers could find themselves on the business end of an immediate ban without any warnings. However, they did not go into details about what a player would have to do to incur such a punishment.

Pokémon Go has seen its fair share of ups and downs since its release in 2018; from a glitchy start to a global phenomenon. Two years on, the mobile game has celebrated revenue of $1.8 billion and currently features three generations of different Pokémon species to discover.

Posted: Jul 23, 2018 5:35 pm
Related Forum: Media Forum

Source: https://www.dualshockers.com/pokemon-go-three-strike-policy/